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The VAG group saw something in privateer racing. Being with the GT3 Audi's, the TCR Seat or the R5 Fabia. They discovered that pushing good privateer cars, can be more significant than spending millions on official efforts. Being German, they're very rational in doing things, that's why they're so good and suceed. If you can make money and be able to have your brand recognized specialy at a local level, for them it's better than spending 200 m€ in a WEC project for not that big of an audience. By having a costumer option in the National/privateer level they can do the same brand recognition and still make money by selling cars, parts and updates. It's a smart way to do business. At the same time, they're focusing on releasing new and improved product for those costumers. In TCR you have Seat, VW and Audi, in GT Racing you have Lamborghini, Porsche and Audi and in rallying they have Skoda and VW again in a near future. Don't be surprise to see a Skoda Rapid TCR or a Seat Ibiza R5... that's just they're new way!

(Sorry if I cannot make my point completly understandable, I'm just too sleepy!!)

But VW Polo R5 will be in same league of Skoda Fabia R5. Why contest in same level two makes of same group?

Another reason is brand loyalty. If you have always competed in a VW you don't want to buy a Škoda (if you are a car dealer for example). Both might be VAG cars, but they are still different manufacturers.

Another reason is brand loyalty. If you have always competed in a VW you don't want to buy a Škoda (if you are a car dealer for example). Both might be VAG cars, but they are still different manufacturers.

For sure the main reason is that they have VW Motorsport in Hannover that is just sitting around doing nothing - and with all staff with their jobs guaranteed by the Board - that they need to keep occupied. An R5 project is good for this.

Ferdinand Piëch perfected this business model for VAG in road cars. He was quoted as saying: "Many rods catch more fish".

Now we see this in their motorsport activities.

The Seat Leon TCR, VW Golf TCR and Audi RS 3 LMS TCR are all exactly the same car underneath, all developed and built by the same people at Seat Sport.

It doesn't make much sense on the face of it, but it seems brand loyalty even exists within motorsport customers too and it does at least provide another body style on the grid/on the stages for a bit of visual variety.

Few weeks a go I met VW Motorsport customer service truck. There were all VAG brand logos on the truck except two. The two missing were Porsche and Škoda. Maybe it means nothing maybe it does. Add to that that since 1st November 2015 Škoda CEO is one of the top Porsche managers Bernhard Meier instead of VW man Winfried Vahland. Porsche position in VAG is very specific (their years long fight with Piech's people over VAG leadership or their frequent rifts with Audi are well known). If Škoda inclines more to Porsche which is currently the strongest player in VAG it may also mean that Škoda could stay somewhat aside of the named VW-Audi-Seat combo.